I'll Be With You In Heaven Or Hell
by Valmar The God Of Darkness
Summary: While on a trip in the Mountains Of Barr, Fayt is attacked and left in a vegetable state. With only two weeks left until the life support is turned off Albel starts to realise just how much Fayt means to him. AlbelxFayt. R&R please
1. Dragons and Vegetables

Authors notes: Hey everyone. This is my first Fanfic so please tell me any major improvements that could be made. This Fanfiction starts off in plot but then goes off plot completely. All the _italics _are dreams or flashbacks. R&R please.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean 3 or any of the characters (apart from the doctor).

Chapter 1- Dragons and Vegetables

"Fayt! Behind you!" Albel shouted to Fayt when he noticed a Tri-Dragon about to sink its claws into Fayts' back. Quickly Fayt spun around, his sword raised, taking two of the dragons three heads off in the process. Fayt then quickly took the dragons' third head off, killing it instantly. Thanking Albels timely warning Fayt wiped the blood off his blade and sheathed it before continuing on his trek through the Mountains of Barr, the rest of his group following closely behind.

Looking around he still couldn't see any signs of the entrance to the cave that would take them through the Urssa Lava Caves and to Crossel. All he could see was sand and rock ad sand and rock. He knew that the rest of his group, mainly Albel and Maria were getting restless after their thirteen hours of walking but instead of turning back he desperately looked for the cave opening. Then he spotted what may be it and began to hurry towards it.

Suddenly Fayt felt a stabbing agony in his lower back followed by a loud scream from behind him. He turned around to see what had struck him but before he could the world went black and he fell into the dirt, blood seeping out his lower back and a Lairon dragon perched on his shoulder blades, roaring.

He tried to open his eyes but couldn't, tried to move his arms but couldn't, tried to move anything but couldn't. All Fayt could do was think and listen to the people talking near where ever he was lying.

"I'm afraid to say that your friend has gone into a state where he cannot move, talk, or even breathe for himself. We call it a 'Vegetable' state. He can probably hear you and understand what you're saying but he cannot answer you or show any recognition that he has heard you," an unfamiliar voice stated from Fayts' left side.

"If he cannot breathe for himself then how can he be alive?" this time a very familiar voice, one who Fayt didn't think cared about him, asked.

"We have him on a life support system. It breathes for him, keeping him alive. But there is a problem. Fayt is unlikely to come back from this condition. In every previous case of this the person hasn't been able to come back and we believe this case will be no different. If it okay with all of you then after a fortnight of being here, we will turn off the life support system. If Fayt is out of this then his lungs will start working again and he will live. If not he will die."

"What are the chances of his lungs working again?" this time it was the voice of Maria that asked the question that everyone was thinking.

"They are less then one percent." The doctor answered, her voice sad and filled with guilt of what she might have to do.

"Then why turn the life support system off! Leave it on and he so he definitely lives!" the shrill voice of Sophia rang out round wherever he was.

"It is not that simple. If his lungs do not work in a fortnight then they will never work again. Fayt would live out his life lying there, not talking, not breathing, just thinking. Forever hearing what you say but not being able to answer. It would be the worst kind of torture. We cannot do that to him." The doctor replied calmly. "Now go, I'm sure you all need sleep."

She then turned around and injected Fayt with a needle that made him instantly fall into a deep asleep. What neither Fayt or the doctor knew was that Albel still watched, silently hoping that Fayt would be okay and not knowing why.

"Albel, why do you always sit here alone eating? Why don't you come and join us inside?" Fayt asked Albel coming to sit next to him on the stone bench where Albel was sitting, looking down at the great rolling Kirlsa ocean. It was a stormy day, therefore the massive waves were whacking against the cliff on which they sat, the spray from it occasionally coming over the top of the cliff and hitting them. The sky was cloudy and the rain would have soaked them if it were not for Fayts umbrella.

Albel turned around to look at Fayt and simple uttered the word "Bah" before walking off. Fayt slowly walked back inside, wishing for once that Albel would talk to him.

"Albel hold still or the wound will get infected." Fayt said, looking up into Albels face. Albel just laughed and pushed Fayt away.

"I can do it myself maggot. No wound can kill Albel Nox." Albel answered.

"Call me by my name Albel! I use yours so why not use mine!" Fayt practically shouted at the blood-loving swordsman. Again Albel just laughed and answered,

"I don't give people inferior to me names." He answered before snatching the bandages and water off Fayt and walked off, laughing evilly.

Albel woke with a start. He'd had the same dream for 3 nights running and he was getting tired of it. Why couldn't he stop thinking about Fayt! It was driving him insane. Stretching he decided to go and look at Fayts room to see if that would stop him thinking about the blue haired boy. He didn't think it would but it may hold a clue to why he kept on thinking about Fayt.

When he was almost there he heard the sound of sobbing coming from Fayts room. He crept up and slowly opened Fayts' door and saw a sight that made his stomach turn from an emotion he had never felt before, jealousy. Sophia was sitting by Fayts bedside, stroking his hair softly and sobbing. She was muttering words to herself and slightly rocking back and forth. There was a soft blue light coming from her fingertips and falling onto Fayt's hair as she stroked. Albel turned and walked away confused, not confused about what Sophia was doing, confused as to why it had made him feel jealous. Suddenly there was a scream coming from the direction of Fayts room. Albel turned and sprinted back before slamming the door open and looking franticly in.

Remember R&R please

-Valmar


	2. The Clock Is Ticking

Authors notes: Me again. Thanks to my 2 reviewers and I hope you like this one as much as the last one. Again please R&R

The Time Is Ticking 

Sophia was stood up, a few feet away from Fayts sleeping body, staring at it with wide eyes. She turned to look at Albel, her eyes still wide. She started stuttering, before finally getting the words out. "It's Fayt, he, he, he, twitched." She stuttered, before fainting.

Instead of catching her Albel turned and stormed out of the room, angered at how Sophia had raised his hopes, before sending them crashing back down to earth. Angered as well that he had let his emotions show instead of keeping them locked up as he had since his father had died.

10 days left…

Albel was sitting by Fayts bedside, staring down at the blue haired boy who was still in the slumber that had wrapped around him like a cobra for the past 4 days, doing the hardest thinking he had had to do in the entirety of his life. Why was he so depressed that Fayt may die?

He tried desperately to convince himself that the reason was that Fayt was the only one who gave him a decent fight, but deep down in his heart he knew it was something more. Suddenly a thought came into mind, something that Albel had never considered himself anything to do with…

Friendship.

Albel had seen people who had lost their friends and they had always seemed to react very similar to how he was reacting at the moment. Nightmares, flashbacks, and a black hole in their heart where that person used to be.

"Yes, that's it!" he shouted before cursing as he sensed that there was a person in the room with him. Whipping around, he spotted that he was right, as there stood a sad, and also slightly bemused looking Nel. Raising one eyebrow she gave him look that clearly said 'Okay, is there a reason you did that or are you just crazy?'

"I was doing a crossword yesterday and I just worked out one of the answers, maggot" he answered quickly, reverting back to the tactic of pretending that he didn't care about anyone and giving Nel the look that clearly said 'If you have a problem with that, we'll settle it outside, blade to blade.' Nel simple glared at him before throwing a small, rectangular object at him.

Looking down at it Albel noticed that it was a similar size to a matchbox, but there was a split down it that you could open it with. "What the hell is this maggot? Some kind of weapon?" Albel asked, confused as to what the object was.

"Yes of course it's a weapon Albel. It's a weapon and I was actually born on the sun! No Albel, it's a telecommunication device. When it makes a noise, open it and press the green button. Then put it up to your ear and you'll be talking to someone. Simple." Nel answered before turning and walking away.

"And what exactly do I need this temicommution device for anyway?" Albel asked her retreating form, about to throw it away in the nearby bin.

"So the doctors can tell you of Fayts condition of course."

"Bah, why would I care." Albel spat throwing the device in the bin. Nel carried on walking, knowing something was different about the way Albel was acting, almost as if he was pretending not to care. 'Nah' she said to herself, before going to go give Maria a copy of the device she had given Albel.

What she didn't know was that Albel had taken the device out of the bin, wiped it, and put it in his little purple bag that he always carried with his katana.

Later that day…

Albel was on his weekly hunting and killing spree, out in grasslands near Kirlsa. Normally this was his favourite hobby but today he just couldn't get in the mood. All his mind could think about was a certain blue haired boy.

Wiping the blood off his blade, Albel had a quick look around to check for monsters. Deciding it was safe; he sat down, lying against a large, mossy boulder. After another look round, he saw it was safe to sleep and closed his eyes, submitting himself to the darkness.

Albel opened his eyes and looked around. Still no monsters bothered him but there was a blob in the distance. Walking towards it, Albel noticed it was actually a human, and a very familiar one. Smiling for the first time in 15 years Albel quickened his pace until he was close to the figure.

" Good to see your well maggot" Albel called out, not caring that he was smiling. Fayt looked up and, with a voice filled with sadness and despair, spoke one word. " Albel."

Albel looked at him questionly before jumping back, horrified with what he had just seen. Along Fayt's back were deep claw marks, blood pouring out of them onto the grassland floor, staining the floor a deep, rich red. Fayt collapsed, falling face first into his own blood.

Albel began to run to him, but again had to jump back, this time due to a Lairon Dragon that had crept up from behind Fayt and was now sitting on him, staring with ravenous eyes at Albel. Albel screamed a scream of pure hatred and ran at the beast, katana in hand, ready to slice it in half.

Reaching it he slashed, a slash that would normally kill any being, but the blade went straight through the dragon, as if the dragon was fake or imaginary. Albel tried again and again, but every time his blade met nothingness. Albel was crying now, something he had not done every since he was 14, when someone else he had loved had fallen to a dragon, because of him.

Tears of despair rolled down his cheeks and onto the blood stained. Taking one last look at Fayts body and the dragon on top of it, Albel turned and ran, feeling the despair in his heart of someone who knew they could nothing to help the one they cared deeply about.


	3. Confusion and Embarrassment

Albels eyes shot open

Albels eyes shot open. Standing up, he looked round, fearing that the great dragon may have followed him, fearing that his time of judgement approached. But instead there was just grassland. Behind him he could see Kirlsa, silhouetted against the evening sky. Sighing in relief he began to walk back to Kirlsa, realising that what he saw must have been a dream. Fayt couldn't have been wandering around the Kirlsa grassland; he was in a hospital bed. Besides, there was no monster the great Albel Nox couldn't slay.

Suddenly a thought struck Albel; why had he had that dream? He'd heard about friendship in the past and friends never had this kind of dream about the other friend. No, this reminded him of something. Something that happened along time ago, that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Shrugging he stretched and began to walk back to Kirlsa, and forcing his mind to think about matters that didn't involve Fayt. They still had to go and find Crossel, not to mention to save his planet. But however hard he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about the dream and about the sorrow he's felt in the dream. Because of these thoughts, he didn't notice that he was almost at Kirlsa, and didn't notice the outstretched foot in his path until it was to late to stop himself hitting the muddy floor.

Looking up angrily, Albel could see no trace of who had tripped him, except for one, crimson red hair. 'Zelpher…' he growled under his breath before beginning to sprint to the inn in which they were staying, hand on his katana, ready to extract his revenge on the Aquarian wrench who had embarrassed him.

Fayt

Fayt woke up, ready for another day of mental torture, trying to force himself to move or even breath on his own. To his surprise he could see, but this surprise soon turned to terror when he noticed the figure walking over to the life support machine. Upon reaching it the figure held out his hands to tear out the wires that controlled Fayt's breathing. Fayt tried to call out, to tell the figure to stop but his mouth wouldn't move, leaving Fayt helpless as the figure began to tear out the wires. This was the last thing he saw before his vision went black.

Albel

Albel was abrupted from his revenge by a hurried shout from Cliff. 'Albel come quick, something's happened at the hospital!! Fayt's in trouble' Albel didn't stop to think; he just turned and began to sprint full speed towards the hospital.

'What is it, what's happened!?' Albel shouted, upon reaching the door to Fayt's hospital room. The nurse who was leaning over Fayt's bed looked up with a look of fear crossed with relief on her face. 'Someone broke in here and disconnected Fayt's life support system' she told him with a slightly trembling voice.

Albel eyes opened wide in horror but before he could say anything she added 'But don't worry, we managed to reconnect it before anything major happened to Fayt, and there was no sign of whoever did it when we came in' Relief and anger flushed across Albel's normally calm face and he started to say 'When I find out who did this..' but stopped when he noticed that all his team mates were in the room, and staring at him in confused manor. Quickly Albel said 'I will be the one to kill Fayt, no one else and stormed out the room' When he was thinking about this event later he realised something, that a certain Aquarian hadn't been in the hospital room and unless his eyes had deceived him, there had been a thin line of crimson red on the life support machine.

--

Albel woke up, bathed in sweat. Once again he'd had nightmares, nightmares about turning off the life support machine and what he'd do if Fayt were dead. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and stretched. It was only then when he noticed Nel sat in the wicker chair at the other end of his inn room. He raised an eyebrow at her and was about to ask what she was doing when she whispered 'I'm sorry' and leaped across the room at him, fists raised. The last thing he saw was her grimacing face before she hit him, and he was knocked unconscious.

After staring at the body for a several seconds, Nel turned and began to walk towards the hospital, pulling out her daggers out their sheathes as she walked. An evil smile flickered across her face and she whispered 'Soon nothing will stand between us. After I do this we can be together with no obstructions, forever.'

A.N's: Soooooo sorry for the delay. I don't really have any excuses for such a long delay. From now on I'll try to update more regularly.


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